Perfect. The exit might have just been my best ever, no doubt thanks to a car that is among the most capable I've ever tested here at
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| This car is among the most capable I've ever tested at Mont-Tremblant. (Photo: Ray Watson, American Auto Press) |
Mont-Tremblant. The surge of adrenaline impelled by an astounding 490-horsepower shot the F430 up the slight grade, over the crest and down the other side, easily eclipsing the top speed I managed in a Dodge Viper only weeks prior. Not bad.
As the long straight ends, it looks as if there's a greater need to get onto the brakes stronger than necessary, but I resist the urge and instead plunge into the corner while feathering the throttle. It's an ultra-quick right turn that the Ferrari takes as nonchalantly as if it were on a cruise up the country club driveway, a performance it reiterates as the track bends to the left, twisting up a steep grade toward the bridge corner. Under the bridge, a sharp left tempts me with a rather tall curb, but you need to be suicidal to take this one full-on in the F430. I tried this once in a Saleen Mustang and found myself mowing the lawn in an embarrassing display of tail wagging. Instead I just clip the curb on exit and push on to the graduated right hander that dips quickly before the tightest turn on the track, one that
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| The F430 is a car that could easily be an enjoyable daily driver, delivering an ease of operation. (Photo: Ray Watson, American Auto Press) |
either forces the car out to the pit lane or tempts you into another lap. Take a guess as to which choice I took?
While I didn't spend anywhere near as much time in the driver's seat of Ferrari's latest as I'd have liked to, it only took moments to realize I was in control of something truly special. Of course, this would have been true of any previous Ferrari, but none would have allowed me to immediately find the ideal driving position, to instantaneously get comfortable enough behind the wheel so that I could pull off some of the best laps of my amateur driving career. Yes, the F430 has raised Ferrari's game to the point it can measure up to any rival on the track or off. It's now a car that could easily be an enjoyable daily driver, delivering an ease of operation and with that, a high level of refinement that previous V8 models couldn't.
